Ice Ice Baby

We have taken inspiration from Dr Martin Luther King Jr this week - An aspirational man who changed the world.

What a week! The school is a bustling with activity and everyone is very busy. Chestnut Class have been debating, which of course they are highly skilled at, and I had the awful job of deciding the fate of Shambo the bull when I visited their courtroom this week. I was impressed with their ability to form arguments and after a very strong line of defence I saved Shambo.

Later on in the week, active learning 'Bardwell style' saw Chestnut Class wearing weighed down back packs to simulate climbing Mount Everest - we've certainly had the weather to simulate frost bite this week! This was in preparation for their English writing so I'm expecting to read some detailed narratives over the coming weeks.

Over in Willow Class I've watched Hindu drama and small groups of children scattered around the school busily making podcasts. Willow Class have also been learning about climate change and I've been impressed with their maturity and level of questioning as they begin to develop their understanding of how humans affect our planet.

Ivy Class just don't seem to stop! The Year 1s are always sharing their incredible reading skills with me and the Reception children are generally covered in something sticky that smells very nice. Cookery corner is a big hit! Mr Boyd is about to unveil a new maths area so I'm looking forward to my invite. I've also seen some Reception reading books going home - wow!

Many thanks for your continued support,

Keep sending in the warm, dry clothes,

Mrs B x

Congratulations to Henley - 8 m 9 s. Pipped at the post by Cooper with - 8 m 7 s!

The whole school managed a very respectable and chilly 21.5 miles.

We were pleased to receive this lovely email after we put our Christmas tree by the gate when we left for the holidays. We popped a note on it saying that it needed a second loving home for Christmas.

Dear Mrs Boyd, staff and children.

Just before Christmas, when visiting the bakers, we came across your Christmas tree in need of a loving home. Our Carol Service in Westhorpe was to be held that evening and we had thought how lovely it would be to have a Christmas tree in the tower archway. However, church funds are low! Your tree was truly a Christmas miracle. We took it back to Westhorpe and decorated it immediately. The tree looked beautiful for the Carol Service and for the remainder of the festive season. Thank you all so much. I thought you would like to know that your tree had a loving and grateful home.

We are all more than happy to answer questions and queries but please: catch us in the playground, send an email (bardwell@tilian.org.uk), phone the office or ask the teacher on the gate to pass on a message. We cannot answer messages via Dojo and any messages sent could, unfortunately go unseen.

This puts us in the 89th centile nationally.

We regularly monitor attendance and will follow up with you individually if we have any concerns.

Measles spreads very easily among those who are unvaccinated, especially in nurseries and schools. The best protection against measles for children and adults is to get both doses of the MMR vaccine. It is never too late to have these vaccinations.

The following UKHSA guidance is available on GOV.UK:

• Health protection in children and young people settings, including education - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
• Managing outbreaks and incidents - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

The NHS also has the following advice for parents on measles:

• Measles - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

DfE has published an Education Hub blog with guidance on measles and the MMR vaccine for parents, nurseries and schools.

We will shortly be emailing all families with a link to the Bardwell parent survey, please ensure you complete this. As always, please come in and have a chat if you would rather talk face to face.

A short-term scheme to support households in need with essential white goods. This funding is being offered by Suffolk County Council via Suffolk Community Foundation. If you like to find out more please come and talk, in confidence, to Mrs. Allman or Mrs. Boyd.

Suffolk County Council (SCC) can confirm that the Household Support Fund is available until March 2024, meaning a further discretionary grant is available to support low-income families over the February half term and Easter holidays 2024.

The grant will be issued as a £45 supermarket voucher for each eligible child (those on income related Free School Meals) from our provider Pluxee to cover both the February Half term (£15) and Easter holidays (£30).

If you have yet to redeem your Christmas voucher, please do so before its expiry date because these cannot be reissued.

Our current Y6 voicemail superstar is Amelia W, you will hear her wonderful greeting if you need to leave a voicemail for us.

Thank you Amelia!

Mrs Allman

I work for a charity called Our Special Friends that supports people and animals in West Suffolk and Mid Suffolk.

We are trying to recruit more volunteers who can help walk someone’s dog, help us with fostering pets with the aim of reuniting them with their owners or who could visit someone with their friendly dog. We thought there might be people in your school community who have an hour or two a week to spare that would like to help.

It would be much appreciated if you would be able to include our volunteers needed poster in one of your newsletters that goes out to parents and carers in your school? I have attached the poster so you can see.

Kind regards

Trina Stone

Animal Companionship Coordinator

+44 (0) 1284 335 351

+7721 129021

www.ourspecialfriends.org

If you are providing a mid morning snack, fresh fruit and vegetables are always the best snack choice for your child – they contain vitamins and minerals, are a good source of fibre and count towards their 5 A Day. Plus, they're easy to eat on the go!

If you're short on time, here are some good ideas for snacks that you can pick up in the shops:

• a slice of malt loaf
• lower-fat, lower-sugar fromage frais
• plain rice cakes or crackers with lower-fat cheese
• sugar-free jelly
• a crumpet
• a scotch pancake

Although we understand the desire to add a little treat your child's snack, we'd rather not see family sized chocolate bars in school. Something that fills a tummy and promotes concentration would be fantastic.

We are an allergy aware school and would like to remind all families that there may be pupils in school with a peanut allergy. If a child with a peanut allergy comes into contact with peanuts, or with a pupil who has eaten peanuts, then this could lead to an anaphylactic reaction. Anaphylaxis is a severe and potentially life-threatening reaction to a trigger such as an allergy.

Because of this the school cannot accept products containing peanuts to be provided in lunch boxes or for eating at other times.

It's getting colder and we don't do staying indoors at Bardwell! Please make sure that your child wears or has available at all times, warm clothes. Hats, coats, thermals under trousers and jumpers are all recommended as we move into the colder months. Puddle suits or waterproof trousers are always welcome. Thin leggings and shorts are not suitable for our outdoor, active curriculum which happens all day, every day - not just on Wild Passport days. Because our pupils go out to play in all weathers, it is important you provide a full change of clothing too in a named bag, to be kept in school. Please ensure this includes underwear including socks and pants. Some muddy puddles are quite deep!

• Walking home unaccompanied form (Y5/6)

If you would like to give permission for your Y5 or Y6 child to leave the school unaccompanied at the end of the day (including after ASC sessions) please download and complete this form, or contact me to ask for a hard copy to be sent home with your child.

• Arbor contact details

Please take the time to check that all your details on Arbor are up-to-date. For example: Do we have the emergency contact details for at least two parents/guardians? Is/are your phone number(s) correct, including any work number? Is your doctor's surgery information still correct? You should be able to make changes via the Arbor website or app. If you have any problems, please don't hestitate to ask.

• Asthma medication & healthcare plans

If your child has medication in school for asthma or an allergy, please check with the class teacher that there is plenty of medication supplied, it is in date and any healthcare plan from your medical practitioner is up-to-date. I will contact you regularly if your plan is out of date - it is so important that we have a plan that is 1yr old or less so that we can work with you to keep your child safe in school.

Our school was selected to be part of a dental epidemiology study and a randomly selected group of YR and Y1 pupils saw Sharon and Lucille, the dentists, last week.

We were so pleased to have the dentists tell us how polite, friendly and gracious all the children were that took part. All the children they saw (those for whom we received a completed consent form) should have brought home a letter, please check bookbags.

Too much time on your hands? You'd like to support the school but can't think of anything worse than being in the company of small children?

We need a very kind, practical person/people to help us construct some equipment. We have a set of brand new basketball hoops and a football table that need constructing. Please let us know if you'd be able to help us. (We'll keep the children away!)

Happy New Year! Well The Autumn Term was very busy with our Tea towels, bags and Christmas Raffle. Spring term looks to be a little quieter before it really picks up in the summer with our two big events - Cars on the Green and the Bardwell Village Funday - put these dates in your diary now as these are events not to miss out on! Thank you for all your support at these events as all funds raised will go PTA which support our children with trips and special resources.

Cake/bake sale - Look out for the poster with information on our cake Sale at the end of this half term. It is Willow Class's turn to provide cakes to sell, either home baked or shop bought to sell on the last day of term - Friday 16th February.

Gary's Marathon - Lots of you may know our amazing football coach Gary. Gary is running a marathon to raise money for Bardwell School. He would like you to design a T shirt for him to run in while also raising money for our school! Please see the design a T-shirt template attached or pick up a copy from reception, Gary will be wearing the winning design for his run! Get your designs in by Thursday 15th February. Watch this space for further information how to sponsor Gary.

Gary say's 'I've officially signed up for my first marathon! I’m running the North Norfolk Marathon taking place in Cromer on Sunday 28th April.

The decision to take on this challenge was not made lightly, and I can already feel a mix of nervous anticipation as I think about the journey ahead.

I wanted to share this exciting news with you all as I want to raise as much money possible to go towards our fantastic Bardwell School!

Here's to new challenges, personal growth, and the incredible feeling of crossing that finish line! '

Thank you Gary and Good Luck in your marathon! Watch this space for further updates

Dates for your PTA diary

Design a T shirt for Gary Deadline - Thursday 15th February

Willow Class Bake sale - Friday 16th February

Gary's Marathon - Sunday 28th April

Ivy Class Bake Sale - Friday 24th May (TBC)

Cars on the Green - Sunday 26th May

Bardwell Village Funday - Sunday 23rd June

Thank you for supporting your Bardwell PTA

...

The dates below have been set for the full academic year but are subject to change. Please keep an eye on the newsletter and your email for any date/time changes and for additional events.

Next year's term dates, including PD days, will be set and circulated close to the February half term. Suffolk County Council term dates are here and we usually (though not always!) set our PD days to match theirs.

Spring Term (event, year group(s), day, date, time)

Willow Class Bake Sale, all, Friday, 16/02/24

National offer day (secondary), Y6, Friday, 01/03/24,

World book day - theme TBC 7/03/24

Easter Service in Church, All, Thursday, 28/03/24, 1.15pm

National offer day (primary), Pre-school, Tuesday, 16/04/24,

School photographs (Class & Whole School, children with photo permission only), 20/05/24. Please wear your colourful sweatshirt.

Residential Y5/Y6 (returning on Friday), Y5/Y6, Wednesday, 22/05/24,

Summer Term (event, year group(s), day, date, time)

Swimming lessons, Y2-Y6, Day to be confirmed - children will need hat, goggles, swimming costume [Note change to Summer term]

SET Ixworth Y6 into Y7 Meet the Tutor evening, Y6, Thursday, 13/06/24, 4pm to 7pm

Sports Day , All, Friday, 14/06/24, 1.30pm

Sports Day reserve date (if weather is poor), All, Friday, 21/06/24, 1.30pm

Transition day 1 of 2 SET Ixworth, Y6, Tuesday, 25/6/24,

Transition day 2 of 2 SET Ixworth, Y6, Wednesday, 26/6/24,

Transition Day TCC Day 1 of 2 (and Parents' Evening), Y6, Wednesday, 10/07/24,

Transition Day TCC Day 2 of 2 (and Parents' Evening), Y6, Thursday, 11/07/24,

Leavers' Trip, Y6, Tuesday, 16/07/24,

Leavers' Service at Church , All, Thursday, 18/07/24, 1.15pm

Next academic year

School photographs (Individual & siblings, all pupils), 25/09/24. Please wear your colourful sweatshirt.

Our Term Dates for the next academic year are now available - these are also on the school calendar on the website and on Parents & Carers>Term Dates page. Please ask the office staff if you would like a paper copy.

Please ensure you are keeping up to date with your payments for the Y5/Y6 residential. To see how much you owe, please go to your child's Arbor account and select 'Trips'. We will require full and final payment by 28th February 2024, so please bear this in mind when budgeting to schedule your payments.

Please contact me, confidentially, if you have any concerns about making your payments in time.

Please also see the information later in the newsletter about the Bardwell Charities local fund that is available to Bardwell resident pupils. We encourage you to apply if you live in the village and I am happy to help you with your application letter.

Mrs Allman

Please ensure your child has a healthy snack with them on any days that they are booked into After School Club. They are likely to be hungry.

If you need to pick your child up before the end (4.30pm) of any After School Club session, please contact the office before the end of the school day (i.e., before 3.20pm), so that a message can be left on the ASC register to inform the session leader.

You may be aware that we have a large minibus taxi transporting some of our pupils to and from school. We have an established risk assessment with the taxi company and Suffolk County Council's transport safeguarding team, developed to ensure the safety of transported children, drivers, staff and other families. This states:

• the minibus has to drop off and pick up children at the gate entrance to meet a member of staff for handover
• in the morning they drop off between 8.30-8.35am and leave promptly at 8.35am
• in the afternoon, they may wait along School Lane, then pick up promptly at 3.30pm.

The taxi takes priority for access at the gate during these times, so we ask that all other families are aware of this and time their entrance to / exit from school accordingly.

The school premises open at 8.35am to all pupils.

We have been asked by the trustees of the Bardwell Charities fund to encourage our local families to apply for financial support. They've said,

"There is money available whether for trips, music lessons, uniform or other need.
Please DO encourage parents/carers to apply."

You might, for example, wish to request some help with the Y5/Y6 residential, or with transport costs for HAF holiday programme activities. All you need to do is write a short email explaining:

• that you are resident in Bardwell
• what the need is and why it is important for your family/child.

Please note that, contrary to previous information, we have recently been informed by Bardwell Charities that this information only applies to Bardwell residents.

Send your email to bardwellcharities@btinternet.com

If you would like any help with your request, please ask Mrs Allman who is happy to help and will keep all information you share with her confidential.

To find out more, please visit our webpage at:

http://bardwellcharities.onesuffolk.net/

New Animation Video

An introduction to the school nursing service, the support we provide and how to get in contact. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmrr9zFT6tk

ChatHealth

Young people- If you are aged between 11 and 19, you can confidentially text ChatHealth to ask for help about a range of issues or make an appointment with a school nurse. You can also find out how to access other local services including emotional support or sexual health services.

Parents-If you are a parent or carer of a young person, you can use ChatHealth to seek help, advice or support about a range of issues which maybe affecting you or your child.

Text a School Nurse on 07507 333356. Texts are charged at your standard network rate. The service is available Monday to Friday, 9am to 4:30pm, excluding bank holidays.

Website

Visit the newly updated School Nursing website where you will find lots of information, resources and videos www.suffolk.gov.uk/schoolnursing or via the QR code.

Suffolk School Nursing Service

Health Business Centre

Allington Clinic, 427 Woodbridge Rd, Ipswich, IP4 4ER

Directorate of Health, Wellbeing and Children’s Services

Suffolk County Council

Tel: 0345 607 8866 Email: childrenshealth@suffolk.gov.uk

The Dun Cow pub on Up Street warmly invites you to use their car park at drop off and pick up times - marked green below. The walk from there to school is under 5 minutes. Thank you to Alan and Denise for this continuing offer.

You may also park near the Church porch from where there is a footpath that comes out to School Lane next to the Windmill.

Please ensure that if you park along School Lane you do not block any driveways and avoid the residents' parking spaces at 25-43 School Lane (marked red below, parking in the green spaces is fine).

Please see the church website for upcoming services.

Bardwell is an inclusive school where children are treated with equality and their individuality celebrated. Our school’s active uniform plays a key role in promoting pride, self-confidence, and a feeling of belonging. We strongly believe that this contributes to the children's well being, removing the additional pressures of deciding what to wear and the added stress of meeting the expectations of peers. In an ever increasing world of social pressure for young people, our uniform removes the points of difference between students and provides a greater focus on school based activities and learning. Therefore, in the interests of equality;

● Active uniforms should be worn at all times

● Spare clothes should be our active uniform NOT home clothes

● Hairstyles must not attract undue attention

● No make-up

● Piercings and jewellery should be discreet and safe to wear, e.g. single studs in ears.

Your child can wear any one of the six Cog colours (red, royal blue, navy blue, green, yellow, purple) as their polo shirt, OR a white one. These are the only acceptable colours for the polo shirt. Please note that the polo shirts do NOT need to have the Bardwell logo on but the sweatshirts MUST.

Colourful polo shirts are available in the school uniform ranges of all the major supermarkets. Logo'd polo shirts (white) and sweatshirts (all colours) are available only from our uniform supplier, Gooddies.

As always, children are also welcome to wear gingham dresses, in any of the six Cog colours, during any term.

You may wish to consider setting Kiddle as your default browser on your home devices. They say:

Kiddle is a kid safe visual search engine. Kiddle returns results for each query in the order shown:

1. Safe sites and pages written specifically for kids. Handpicked and checked by Kiddle editors.
Typically, results 1-3.

2. Safe, trusted sites that are not written specifically for kids, but have content written in a simple way, easy for kids to understand. Handpicked and checked by Kiddle editors.
Typically, results 4-7.

3. Safe, famous sites that are written for adults, providing expert content, but are harder for kids to understand. Filtered by Google safe search.

Typically, results 8 onwards.

Since Kiddle results are either handpicked and checked by our editors or filtered by Google safe search, you know you get kid-oriented results without any explicit content. In case some bad words are present in a search query, our guard robot will block the search.

Did your child get a new console for Christmas? This month's issue covers parental controls on X-Box, Playstation and Nintendo Switch. Please read the Knowsley Online Safety Newsletter (pdf format) for Bardwell School.

[circulating on behalf of Suffolk County Council]

Children can help shape the future of library services in Suffolk.

Ahead of awarding a new contract for library services next year, Suffolk County Council is seeking views from children, parents and schools about what is important to them, to help shape the next chapter of Library services in Suffolk.

We want to hear views about services offered in library buildings as well as the mobile library service. We want to hear everyone’s views, including those of people that don’t currently use the service.

Schools can help by:

• circulating this link www.suffolk.gov.uk/LibraryConsultation to parents with a request to them and their children to complete the survey;
• completing the survey on behalf of your school as an organisation www.suffolk.gov.uk/LibraryConsultation

The consultation closes on 26 January 2024. Thank you for your help.

[circulating on behalf of the organiser]

Sports Camp 19-22 February 2024

Monday 19 Feb : 9.00am-12.00pm Gymnastics or Musical Theatre / 12.30-3.30pm Dance or Parkour

Tuesday 20 Feb : 9.00am-12.00pm Skateboarding or Target games / 12.30-3.30pm Skateboarding & Bmx or Karate

Wednesday 21 Feb : 9.00am-12.00pm Ipswich Town Football or Inflatables / 12.30-3.30pm Ipswich Town Football or Inflatables

Thursday 22 Feb : 9.00am-12.00pm Nerf and laser Tag / 12.30-3.30pm Nerf and laser Tag

Flyer Attached

Ages: 5 – 13 yrs

Venue: Beyton, Thurston Sixth (IP30 9AA)

£12 per workshop

www.gvtssp.org

We are very keen to have children attending school if they are well enough. Please have a look at this NHS advice if you are unsure.

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/

If your child is ill, you must phone into the school before 9am, giving a reason for the absence ('unwell' is not sufficient), leave a voicemail if you need to. Please do not email in for absence.

We recommend that you are familiar with the Tilian Attendance Policy.

Suffolk County Council has asked us to share with families their updated 'Cost Of Living Support' information.

Your child may be eligible for free school meals throughout primary school. This could save you approximately £484 per year.

​

To check or apply online, visit: https://www.suffolk.gov.uk/children-families-and-learning/schools/school-meals-uniforms-and-trips/apply-for-free-school-meals/

​

Check if you're eligible

Your child will get free school meals if you receive any of the following:

• Income Support

• Income-based Job Seeker’s Allowance

• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance

• Guarantee element of State Pension Credit

• Child Tax Credit but no element of Working Tax Credit and have an annual income (as assessed by HM Revenues & Customs) that does not exceed £16,190

• If you are supported under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

• Working Tax Credit during the four-week period immediately after your employment finishes or after you start to work fewer hours per week

• Universal Credit (provided you have an annual net earned income of no more than £7,400 (£616.67 per month), as assessed by earnings from up to three of your most recent assessment periods).
  

To check if your child is eligible, apply online for an immediate response or call 01473 260989.

We encourage you to apply, because the school receives additional funding (Pupil Premium) for all children on income-related Free School Meals.

​

Email: bardwell@tilian.org.uk
Website: https://www.bardwell.org.uk/
Location: School Lane, Bardwell, Bury Saint Edmunds IP31 1AD, UK
Phone: 01359 250854
Twitter: @BardwellPrimary